Memorial Day and the Mass

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Red poppies growing among the ruins in Ancient Ephesus

We cherish too, the poppy red, that grows on fields where valor led.It seems to signal to the skies that blood of heroes never dies.But lends a luster to the red of the flow that blooms above the dead. From We Shall Keep the Faith by Moina Michael, 1918 Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day (stemming from the practice of decorating grave sites), is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. It originated in the years following the Civil War and became … [Read more...]

The 7th Great Antiphon: O Emmanuel — God With Us

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O Emmanuel - God With Us

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” The O Antiphons reflections end today with O Emmanuel or God with us. Read more about the rich history of all seven O Antiphons, a great treasure of the Advent season: The Great Antiphons & the Rich History of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. December 23 Antiphon O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver, desire of the nations, Savior of all people, come and set us free, Lord our … [Read more...]

The 6th Great Antiphon: O Rex Gentium — King of All the Nations

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O Rex Gentium - King of All Nations

Christ is the cornerstone -- a sure foundation The O Antiphons reflections continue with O Rex Gentium or O King of All Nations. Read more about the rich history of all seven O Antiphons, a great treasure of the Advent season: The Great Antiphons & the Rich History of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. December 22 Antiphon O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. Symbol: The Crown … [Read more...]

The 5th Great Antiphon: O Oriens — O Dayspring

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O Oriens - O Rising Dawn

Christ is the radiant dawn who brings eternal life The O Antiphons reflections continue with O Oriens or O Dayspring. Read more about the rich history of all seven O Antiphons, a great treasure of the Advent season: The Great Antiphons & the Rich History of O Come, O Come Emmanuel. December 21 Antiphon: O Oriens, O Dayspring O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. Symbol: The sun with rays: just as the … [Read more...]

The 4th Great Antiphon: O Clavis — O Key of David

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O Key of David

Christ is the key who can unlock prison cells and lead to freedom The O Antiphons reflections continue with O Clavis or O Key of David. Read more about the rich history of all seven O Antiphons, a great treasure of the Advent season: The Great Antiphons & the Rich History of O Come, O Come Emmanuel December 20 Antiphon: O Clavis, O Key of David O Key of David, O royal Power of Israel, controlling at your will the gate of heaven: Come, break down the prison walls of death for those who … [Read more...]

Catholic Mother’s Companion to Pregnancy – Book Tour & Giveaways

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CMCP blog tile 0912

To celebrate the launch of her new book, A Catholic Mother's Companion to Pregnancy: Walking with Mary from Conception to Baptism, Sarah Reinhard invites us to pray the rosary together. The Practicing Catholic is the eighth stop on her Rosary Blog Tour. Today, Sarah shares a reflection on the Wedding Feast at Cana. The Wedding Feast at Cana by Sarah Reinhard She looks around and sees a celebration, the union of two people at the beginning of their life together. It is the ending of each as … [Read more...]

The Spiritual Fatherhood of Fr. John Riccardo

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Fr. John Riccardo

This post is completed in conjunction with Support a Catholic Speaker Month hosted at BrandonVogt.com. Click here to learn about the promotion. “Lisa, you need to get to the hospital,” my cousin pleaded with me on the other end of the phone. “Your dad has been in a serious accident. You need to come now.” That was three years ago today, September 30, 2009. And at that moment I knew my dad had died. I just intuitively knew. I’ve heard it said that daughters carry their fathers with them even … [Read more...]

What’s the Deal with the Sign of Peace

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Sign of peace at Mass

There is probably no part of the Mass that causes more consternation than the sign of peace. From the glad-handers to the germophobes, there is no shortage in diversity of opinions on what to do during this time in the Mass. Traditionally, this ritual is ascribed to Matthew 5: 23 – 24. So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first and be reconciled to your brother, and then … [Read more...]

Indivisible: Jay Richards on History Lessons in Hope

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Indivisible: Restoring Faith, Family, and Freedom Before it's too Late

Movements that transform cultures historically come from larger spiritual renewal. Congratulations to last week’s giveaway winner John Germain! Enter to win a your own copy of Indivisible! Simply leave a comment here. Next Wednesday, August 15, we will randomly select this week’s winner. Giveaway sponsored by The Maximus Group. You also can buy Indivisible from Ignatius Press (with Voting Guidelines for Catholics bonus CD). This is the fifth installment from our interview with Dr. Jay … [Read more...]

Power to the Sheeple!

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The faithful should embrace this barb for what it really means. I had a Facebook dialog a few weeks ago with a couple Catholic friends who struggle with some of the Church’s teachings. The subject of the exchange was Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. One of them suggested he should be denied communion because he supposedly doesn't care about the poor. After I refuted that bit of nonsense, the conversation quickly turned toward the HHS contraception mandate. One of the two interjected: Why, … [Read more...]